With the end of the spring term in sight, we are pleased to recognize five faculty members who have been awarded emeritus status at Birmingham-Southern College.

The recipients – after retirement or other pursuits – will retain faculty access to the library and other resources and can participate in ceremonial functions of the College. These distinguished professors have served the College for nearly 135 years collectively.

Congratulations to: Steve Cole, professor of art; Dr. Jason Heaton, associate professor of biology; Dr. George Klersey, associate professor of accounting; Dr. Clyde Stanton, professor of chemistry; and Dr. David Ullrich, professor of English.

Steve Cole joined the Department of Art in 1986 and has taught at BSC ever since. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art education from Ball State University and his MFA in Studio Art from Florida State University. He has led courses in drawing and painting and oversees the senior capstone class for studio art students. Cole has been recognized across the country and has had his work featured in solo exhibitions across the Southeast.

Dr. Jason Heaton joined the Department of Biology in 2010, following teaching positions at UAB, Samford University, and Indiana University. He earned undergraduate degrees in biology and anthropology before receiving his master’s degree and Ph.D. in anthropology from Indiana University. He has conducted archaeological and paleontological research in South Africa since 2000, and he has worked as a part of the Swartkrans Palaeoanthropological Research Project (SPRP) since 2005. This work has led to groundbreaking research, including a recent study of an early human skeleton, Little Foot.

Dr. George Klersey first joined the Department of Business Programs in 1995 as the EBSCO Professor of Accounting, before leaving in 2007. He returned to BSC in 2013 following positions at the University of Colorado, Denver and Piedmont College. Klersey earned his bachelor’s degree and MBA from the University of Florida and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina, and his areas of academic research are in cognitive aspects of expertise in auditing and accounting information systems.

Dr. Clyde Stanton joined the Department of Chemistry in 1993, following post-doctoral research appointments at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, the Naval Research Library in Washington, D.C., and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Clemson University, his master’s degree in chemistry from West Virginia University, and his Ph.D. in chemistry from Boston College. Stanton’s research expertise includes spectroscopic properties of small molecular species, laser-based techniques to investigate chemical reactions, and molecular modeling of chemical properties and reactions.

Dr. David Ullrich joined the Department of English in 1985 following positions at Ripon College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Marquette University and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ullrich divides his research interests between British romanticism and American modernism, and he has served as an editor on The F. Scott Fitzgerald Review since 2014.